It's Sedar time again, and I don't like Kosher wines. So, I'm doing the big decanter switch again this year. While the brisket is being tended to, I'll sneak into the dining room and grab both decanters. Dumping the holiday white and red juice down the drain. Then I will add a nice Veltliner, and a yummy Oregon Pinot. Dad will unknowingly thank me later as the alchohol content should be higher than Manischewitz. It's a shame to dip your fingers into the good stuff, but I am the first born son, and as they say on Passover, "the wise one, the wicked one......"

yeah, absolutely...
Try the Herzog Chenin Blanc. it's downright good wine, and it's really inexpensive.
baron rothschild also make passover wine every few years, check it out online...
(the bordeaux is mediocre, but still beats the matzoh balls off of manishevitz)

There are some really nice kosher wines out there. We have about 30 in our shop, and among the best I've tried are the ones from Teal Lake from Australia. They make some very nice Shiraz and Chard. Worth a try.

If I'm not mistaken, several Bordeaux options should be available to you. Chateau Malmaison is pretty widely available at about $20 -- look for the '00, if possible. Also, if I'm right about this, Giscours Margaux should be OK, too.

Being a veg, I'll not venture a guess about pairing with brisket, but it should be OK.

There are lots of fun Jewish foods that I have trouble pairing wine with. What would you guys suggest with Bagels and Lox? This is the most basic brunch item, but not easy with wine. How about blintzes? Or my favorite, Borscht!

That one is easy -- Champagne. One of the things Carole had waiting for me when I returned from Desert Storm was bagels, cream cheese, and smoked salmon -- served with Pol Roger Brut Champagne. Yesssss....

Just curious but could someone tell me EXACTLY what makes a wine Kosher? I've heard a few things and ideas but none are really consistant with each other. Another term I've seen used in this thread and have no idea what it means is "Sedar". Any help would be appreciated....thanks, mark

Seder is indeed the Passover meal that occurs the first two nights of Passover.

Kosher wine is made in accordance with kashrut - the Jewish dietary laws. It's a bit complicated, but the essential elements are as follows. The wine must be made under rabbinical supervision. It can't be handled by non-Jews unless it undergoes mevushal, which translates to cooking or boiling. The old way was to heat the must until bubbles showed - about 194 F. The modern method uses flash pasteurization, which very quickly heats the must to about 185 F and very quickly cools it down. The wine then goes through normal fermentation. Fining can't be done with egg whites or gelatin, so bentonite is generally used. That's the quick version. Also, kosher wines made in Israel ar subject to Shmitta, another aspect of kashrut. This requires that no harvest be made during certain years so the land can lie fallow. The last Shmitta year was 2001, so you shouldn't be able to find any kosher wines from Israel with the 2001 vintage date. Incidentally, fruit is considered kosher already, so kashrut doesn't apply to to grape growing. It's only when they're harvested that it comes into play. Simple, isn't it?

One of our best friends, who's Unitarian, married a really great Jewish guy. She agreed to raise the kids in the Jewish faith (but she also taught them their Christian heritage) and she dove headlong into learning all she could about Judaism. Now she knows more about it than her husband, and has passed on a lot ot us. We've been to one Bat Mitzvah and a Bar Mitzvah with the last coming next year. So, I've been picking up quite a bit over the years.

Both my church in Maine and now the one here in New Hampshire hold Sedar meals at the appropriate time, usually in the early part of Holy Week. Jewish friends and neighbors are invited. One of them explains what is going on to parishioners that haven't been to one. My big complaint at both locations has been the insistance of using Manischewitz wine with it. I always maintain that Herzog Syrah would go much better with the lamb. Maybe one of these years.

Thanks KC.... not sure I followed everything, but I got the idea. One of the local wine shops had a Kosher wine tasting a few weeks ago. I would have gone had I the day off, just for the knowledge alone. We have a lot of jewish people coming into the restaurant, yet we have no kosher wines. I'll have to work on that.